1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of hinged orthopedic splints and braces of the type applied across the joint of a limb such as a knee or elbow for limiting movement of the joint for therapeutic purposes, and is more particularly directed to certain improvements in the hinge for such splints.
2. Background of the Invention
Knee and elbow splints or braces typically have an upper plate and a lower plate connected to each other by a hinge such that, when the upper plate is attached to the limb above the joint and the lower plate to the limb below the joint, the patient may flex the limb at the joint. Many such splints are known and are commonly used in the course of orthopedic rehabilitation. It is also known to provide splints with adjustable hinges which enable a therapist to set limits to the arc of movement of the splint and hence of the patient's joint, as may be required by the patient's condition and the course of therapy. One general class of knee brace in current use has a detent movable on an upper plate into and out of engagement with a toothed or serrated edge on a lower plate. Within this class of splints there are two types. In the first type the toothed edge may be fixed on one plate so as to lock the two plates in a selectable relative angular relationship, i.e., the two plates are fixed at a desired angle selected from a range of possible angular relationships. Once so fixed the two plates are not movable and the patient cannot flex the joint while wearing the splint. In the second type of splint within this class one or more toothed edges are adjustable on one plate enabling a variable range of movement to be set for the hinge. For example, two toothed elements are movable on the upper plate, such as two rotatable disks each with a toothed edge and a stop engageable by the lower plate. Angular movement of the lower plate relative to the upper plate is confined to an angular range defined by the relative positioning of the two stops, which in turn are adjustably set by rotation of the disks to the desired positions, and are fixed in that position by a common detent movable on the upper plate. In both types of splints the relative angular positioning of the two is set or limited by a detent movable on one plate and adjustably engagable with some structure mounted on the other plate.
A continuing problem encountered in this class of splints is to provide for convenient adjustment of the splint's angular settings by a therapist while also making the splint's settings relatively resistant to tampering by the patient who may become impatient with the course of therapy and wish to reset the splint to suit his or her immediate comfort.
A second shortcoming encountered in currently available knee or elbow braces of the aforementioned class is that the hinge settings are right or left handed, thereby limiting a particular splint to application on a limb of corresponding handedness. A continuing need exists for adjustable splints having ambidextrous hinge settings so that a given splint may be used interchangeably on either a right hand or left hand limb.